Hef Wants Robert Downey Jr. to Play Him

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At 84, Hugh Hefner is ready for his life to be depicted on the silver screen through two working projects.

The Playboy empire founder took time from his birthday extravaganza at the Vegas Palms Hotel & Casino to talk to PopcornBiz about the projects in store.

First up is a documentary by Oscar-winning director Brigitte Berman called "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, Rebel" which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

"It's the focus on the other half of my life people don't know about," he says. "It's not so much with the sexual revolution, but the impact I have had on many other political and social issues."

The authorized documentary film (Hefner gave Berman unprecedented access to the Playboy vaults) will be released in limited markets over the summer, followed by a DVD release.

But the Hef is also still excited about the possible feature film being produced by Brian Grazer. He notes that Brett Ratner has expressed an interest in directing and Diablo Cody is writing the words.

"What we're waiting for is a good screenplay," he says.

As for the man listed as possibly playing Hefner should the project hit greenlight: Robert Downey Jr. It's a choice he approves of. "I think he's a very good actor."